CODE 911

SUQUAMISH  A Tacoma Crips gang member has been arrested on a Port Madison Tribal warrant charging him with first-degree rape.

Tribal Police Chief Bob Gouin said Lah-Huh Bate-Soot, also known as Lucky Bennett, was arrested this week by Washington State Patrol troopers in King County and is being held on $5,000 cash-only bail.

Bennett, a Native American, is accused of raping a 16-year-old Suquamish girl last August during Chief Seattle Days. Gouin said the girl was terrified of Bennett after the assault and refused to cooperate.

"She was so scared she left the area," Gouin said, but returned after Bennett was jailed in Pierce County on another charge. But after he was released in mid-March, she again became fearful for her safety, Gouin said.

Then she allegedly received threats from Bennett and decided to go forward with the case, Gouin said. The tribe issued the arrest warrant March 28 and Bennett was arrested Wednesday night. Gouin said the tribe is involving the FBI in the case because it is a felony.

Woman stabbed in fracas

BREMERTON  A 21-year-old Bremerton girl was taken to Harrison Memorial Hospital early this morning after an altercation in the 2000 block of Magnuson Way.

The victim initially told Bremerton Police and emergency room personnel she'd been shot, but it turned out to be a stab wound.

Police initially were called to the house about 3 a.m. and the victim said she'd been assaulted, but refused treatment. Forty-five minutes later she showed up at the hospital.

The investigation is continuing.

Four injured in crash

SOUTH KITSAP  Two people were hospitalized and two more treated at the hospital after a two-car collision Thursday night in the rain on Mile Hill Drive near Long Lake Road.

Roderick O. Pruitt, 42, of Port Orchard, was listed in satisfactory condition this morning at Harborview Medical Center being treated for abdominal injuries and nose and left arm fractures.

Elizabeth V. Bayliss, 45, also of Port Orchard, was listed in satisfactory condition this morning at Harrison Memorial Hospital, where she is being treated for cuts to her head and abdominal pain.

According to Washington State Patrol, Bayliss' 1976 Ford was traveling east on Mile Hill Drive when it collided in the westbound lane with a 1988 Ford driven west on Mile Hill Drive by Pruitt.

Passengers in the Bayliss car, Wyatt A. Bayliss, 22, and Steven E. Wallace, 23, both of Port Orchard, were treated at Harrison Memorial Hospital for minor injuires, then released.

Accident kills Shelton man

SHELTON  A Shelton man died Wednesday when a log loader apparently malfunctioned and dropped a load of timber, causing the logs to bounce and strike the man in the head, said Mason County Deputy Coroner Bruce Finlay.

Gary Gene Griffin, 41, died at the scene of head injuries. According to Mason County sheriff reports, a log loader operator reported that a hydraulic line broke, causing him to lose control and drop the logs on a truck. When the logs bounced out of control, Griffin was struck in the head by a log. Griffin was on the job site helping another man, who was contracting with Simpson Timber, Finlay said.

Man arrested for assault

BREMERTON  One day after police investigated a second-degree assault domestic violence incident in an apartment in the 700 block of Chester Avenue, the suspect turned himself in, according to Bremerton Police reports.

John Brooks, 26, 704 Chester Ave., surrendered Wednesday to the Bremerton Police Department. On Tuesday, Brooks allegedly assaulted a 26-year-old woman by punching her, kicking her and striking her with a wooden shower curtain rod and a plastic baseball bat. The woman's children were in the apartment, but were put in another room, police said.

Police transported the woman to Harrison Memorial Hospital where she received stitches to her lip. She had bruises around both eyes, a bloody nose and numerous bruises on her body.

Brooks was booked into Kitsap County jail for second degree assault domestic violence. His bail was set at $5,000.

Choppy waters

capsize sailboat

BREMERTON  Three adolescents were rescued from Port Orchard Bay between Enetai Beach and Bainbridge Island after two girls in a rowboat struggled to help a boy in a sailboat that capsized in choppy waters Wednesday evening, said Bremerton Fire Capt. Jeff Childs.

After a 13-foot fiberglass sailboat carrying the boy capsized, two girls from the same household used a 12-foot aluminium rowboat to reach him. When aid arrived, the three were in the rowboat holding the sinking sailboat afloat with a rope, Childs said. Emergency units were unable to tow the boat because it lacked any cleats, so a marker buoy was secured to it and it was allowed to drift, Childs said.

Coast Guard and ferry officials were notified. The minors were not injured. The boat is expected to eventually wash ashore.

Fire damages three-bedroom home

SUQUAMISH  A fire that originated in a clothes dryer Wednesday morning caused smoke and fire damage to a three-bedroom home in the 6500 block of NE Center Street, according to Kingston fire reports.

The home is owned by Kevin and Sophie Nordstrom. Officials haven't determined the cause of the fire, but have traced it to the dryer area where it spread along the ceiling to the adjacent dining room before it was contained. Officials are still investigating the specific cause of fire.

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